Phototypesetting machines



Dec. 30, 1969 NOBUO MORISAWA 3,486,429

PHOTOTYPESET'IING MACHINES Filed April 25, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1. s

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PHOTOTYPESETTING MACHINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April 25, 1967 v m as Dec. 30, 1969 NOBUO MORISAWA 3,486,429

PHOTOTYPESETTING MACHINES Filed April 25, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Dec. 30'. 1969.

I Filed April 25, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent US. CI. 95-45 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A phototypesetting machine has adjusted pieces whose height is inversely proportional to the width of the corresponding letters on a letter board. The adjusting pieces and the letter board are situated in a common frame. A vertical feeler rod on the letter board can be lowered into contact with one of the adjusting pieces. The feeler rod is connected with gearing for moving a sensitized paper through a distance corresponding to the distance it moves. The sensitized paper is moved a distance which is proportional to the breadth of the letter which is desired to be reproduced. A turret having lenses is positioned between the letter board and the sensitized paper for forming the image of the desired size lettter on the sensitized paper.

This invention relates to a phototypesetting machine, more particularly to the type in which are provided adjusting pieces, as many as and inversely proportional in height to the breadths of the letters on a letter board, and by means of the difference in height of the adjusting pieces sensitive paper is moved by a length proportionate to the breadth of the the letter chosen from among those on the letter board.

In a known type of phototypesetting machine, in which the mechanism for moving sensitive paper in proportion to the heights of the adjusting pieces is rather complicated and, furthermore, must be placed near the central part of the machine, it is impossible to provide lens-holding tubes in a turret system in the path of rays from the photo light. Thus it has been a custom to provide a frame for a lens-holding tube and change the tube as the occasion requires. And, as compared with a phototypesetting machine capable of employing a turret type having lens-holding tubes such as one for Japanese letters, the phototypesetting machines for Roman letters have the defect that changing lenses is vary troublesome. A mechanism for moving sensitive paper away from the path of rays of the light and furnishing a turret system of lensholding tubes has also been suggested, but the letter board and the adjusting pieces must be provided in the same frame while the letter board must be placed in the path of rays of the photo light, so that the mechanism has the drawback that the machine is too large.

The object of the present invention is to provide a phototypesetting machine without these drawbacks.

With this object in view the present invention provides a phototypesetting machine wherein a vertical rod for transmitting the difference between the heights of adjusting pieces is provided in an aperture cut in the center of the frame holding lens-holding tubes of a turret system.

According to the present invention, the machine can be very compact even with the lens-holding tubes of a turret system provided therein, and besides changing of lenses can be made much more easily than in known types of machine.

Other and the further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following specification and claims taken together with the accompanying drawings in which is shown a preferred embodiment of the phototypsetting machine according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a phototypesetting machine embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a gearing for moving a magazine;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an elevation view of a ratcheting mechanism;

FIGS. 6 and 7 are diagrams showing mechanism of sevral parts of the machine; and

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the lens-holding tubes of a turret system.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 of these drawings reference numeral 11 indicates a letter board, having Roman letters thereon in a prescribed order and slidable lengthwise and breadthwise. Behind the letter board 11 are provided a rack 12 with triangular teeth formed thereon and adjusting pieces 13, both located within the same frame 14 as the letter board 11.

The number of adjusting pieces 13 is the same as the number letters on the letter board 11, and the smaller the breadth of a letter the taller the corresponding adjusting piece 13 and the wider the former, the shorter the latter. The adjusting pieces 13 are slidable lengthwise and breadthwise together with the letter board 11. Numeral 15 indicates a rotating arm having one end supported on a pin 16 so that the other end can be engaged and disengaged with the rack 12.

On an axial pin 17 is rotatably mounted a handle 18 worked by hand, and having a roller 19 thereon. The roller 19 is kept in contact with a lever 20 for deciding the breadth for a chosen letter in order to rotate lever 20 on a pin 21. The lever 20 is connected to a spring 22 and a rod 23 for supporting the spring 22 by connecting rods 24, 25 and 26. The other end of the rod 23 is connected to a connecting rod 27, one end of which is connected to a connecting rod 28 and the other end of which is connected to a pivot pin 29, see FIGS. 6' and 8. The upper end of the connecting rod 28 is attached to one end of a lever 30, the other end of which is connected to a pin 31 on which a segment 32 is mounted. In the path of rays of the photo light is provided a frame 33 holding lens-holding tubes 34 of a turret system, and through an aperture 35 in the center of the frame 33 extends a vertical rod 36, having a rack 37 thereon which meshes with the segment 32. To the pivot pin 29 is connected connecting rod 38, which in turn is connected to connecting rods 39, 40, 41 and 42. The other end of the connecting rod 42 is connected to a lever 43 on which is fixed an arc-shaped cover 44.

On the other hand, a handle 45 for operating a pawl on a ratchet wheel is so mounted on the pin 16 that it can be engaged by and lowered by thehandle 18 which is also mounted on the pin 16, as shown in FIG. 7. To the middle of the handle 45 is connected one end of a connecting rod 46 with the other end thereof attached to an adjusting member 47, to which is attached another connecting rod 48, the other end of which is connected to a lever 49 rotating on a pin 50. On the pin 50 is mounted one end of a lever 52 the other end of which is connected to a connecting rod 51. The other end of the connecting rod 51 is connected to a pawl-carrying member 53 provided with a pawl 54 for a ratchet wheel 55. Numeral 56 indicates a pin on which is mounted the pawl-carrying member 53, and numeral 57 indicates a pawl for preventing reverse of motion of said ratchet wheel 55.

On an axle 58 of the ratchet wheel is fixed a bevel gear 59 which meshes with another bevel gear 60 as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. On an axle 61 of the bevel gear 60 are mounted a desired number of driving gears 62 of different pitches, each of which meshes with a corresponding idle gear 63 mounted on a supporting member 64 fixed to a lever 65. One end of each lever 65 is rotatably mounted on a pin 66 and the other end thereof extends through a case 67. Each lever 65 is supported by a spring 68. The idle gears 63 mesh with a driven gear 69. By choosing the desired combination from among the combinations of a driving gear 62, an idle gear 63 and the driven gear 69, and operating the corresponding lever 65, a desired speed change ratio can be obtained. The revolution of the driven gear 69 is transmitted to a magazine-moving gear 70 through bevel gears 71 and 72, and the rotation of the gear 70 moves a magazine rest 73 sideways carrying a magazine 74 containing sensitive paper mounted thereon. The magazine rest 73 is provided with a rack 75 which meshes with the gear 70. Numeral 76 indicates a pin on which are fixed the connecting rods and 26. Numeral 77 indicates a pin on which are secured the connecting rods 40 and 41. Numeral 78 indicates an electromagnet for fixing the letter board 11 in position through rod 15.

When a desired lens-holding tube 34 is placed in the path of rays of the photo light by rotating the frame 33, a desired letter is placed under the lens-holding tube 34 by moving the letter board 11, the rack 12 and the adjusting pieces 13 moving together with it. Then the handle 18 is lowered and the roller 19 thereon turns the lever 20, which pushes the connecting rod 24 to the right in FIG. 2. Thereby the connecting rods 25 and 26 turn on the pin 76 counterclockwise in FIG. 2, whereby the spring 22 is pressed downward, the connecting rod 27 turns downwardly and rotates the axial pin 29, the connecting rod 28 descends, and the axial pin 31 to which the lever is attached rotates. Thus the segment 32 turns clockwise in FIG. 6 and the vertical rod 36 is lowered till the lower end thereof comes in contact with the adjusting piece 13. At the same time the connecting rod 38 is lowered by the axial pin 29 a distance proportionate to the length the vertical rod 36 descends, the connecting rod 39 is lowered, the connecting rods 40 and 41 turn counterclockwise on the pin 77, the connecting rod 42 moves to the left in FIG. 6, and the lever 43 rotates the arc-shaped cover 44 over the ratchet wheel 55 a peripheral distance proportionate to the distance the vertical rod 36 descends.

Meanwhile, by means of the lever 20 moved by the handle 18, a switch (not shown) is closed to energize the magnet 78, the rotating arm 15 turns down, the end thereof engages with the rack 12, and thus the letter board 11 and the adjusting pieces 13 are secured at their positions.

When the handle 18 is lowered, the pawl-operating handle 45 is also energized and lowered, the connecting rods 46 and 48 and the adjusting member 47 descend, the lever 49 turns on the pin 50 clockwise in FIG. 7, the lever 52 turns clockwise in FIG. 5, the connecting rod 51 is moved to the left in FIG. 5, and thereby the pawl-carrying member 53 rotates on the pin 56 clockwise in FIG. 5. Thus the pawl 54 moves along the periphery of the ratchet wheel 55 and then along the arcshaped cover 44.

When the handle 18 is released, it returns to the former position together with the pawl-operating handle 45, and

thus the whole mechanism moved thereby also returns to its former position, while by the return of the pawl 54 the rachet wheel 55 is rotated an amount proportional to the length transmitted through said mechanism, the magazine-moving gear is rotated by means of the axle 58, the bevel gears 57 and 59 and so forth, and thereby the magazine 74 is moved sideways a length proportionate to that of the descent of the vertical rod 36. By repeating the same operation, the desired phototypesetting can be done in succession.

It is thought that the invention and its advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it is apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described and illustrated in the drawings being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a phototypesetting machine having a straight, linear letter board, a plate on which said letter board is mounted, said plate being movably mounted on said machine for linear reciprocating movement, means engageable with said plate for holding it fixed, a plurality of adjusting pieces on said plate each having a height proportional to the breadth of a corresponding letter on the letter board, a magazine on said machine above said letter board, and having means therein for moving a sheet of photosensitive material past a fixed point in the direction of the letter board, drive means coupled to said moving means, and a linkage coupled to said drive means for moving said drive means, that improvement comprising a turret lens system having a plurality of lens tubes thereon and rotatably mounted on said machine for moving the lens tubes into a position between the letter board and said fixed point above said letter board, said turret having a hollow center, a feeler engageable with said adjusting pieces on said plate and movable vertically within said hollow center into engagement with said adjusting pieces so that the vertical movement is proportional to the height of the adjusting pieces, a rack on said feeler, a segment gear mounted in said hollow center and in mesh with said rack, a further linkage coupled to said segment gear and coupled to the linkage for said drive means for moving said drive means linkage in proportion to the distance said feeler is lowered, and means coupled to said further linkage for moving said further linkage to move said segment gear and said feeler into engagement with said adjusting pieces when the linear letter board is held fixed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,283,394 10/1918 Bawtree 4.5 1,901,013 3/1933 Utter 95--4.5 3,011,474 12/1961 Ulrich 355-11 XR 3,272,102 9/1966 Morisawa 95--4.5

JOHN M. HORAN, Primary Examiner L. H. MCCORMICK, 111., Assistant Examiner 

